The pillow you sink into every night, the air freshener giving off a faint scent, the mattress you have used for years. A warning has emerged that the bedroom — a space meant to protect your health — can instead become an environment that harms the body.
Respiratory hospitalizations this year are rising for both COVID-19 and influenza, according to infectious disease sentinel surveillance data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency released on the 16th. COVID-19 inpatients at hospital-level medical institutions climbed to 327 in the 38th week of the year from 115 in the 35th week, while influenza inpatients jumped to 436 from 166 over the same period.
Experts point to the quality of indoor living environments, not just viral outbreaks, as a factor behind the increase in respiratory illnesses.
Dr. Saurabh Sethi, a Harvard-trained gastroenterologist in the United States, recently drew attention by naming three toxic items that should be removed from the bedroom immediately. The video he posted on Instagram has been viewed 2.1 million times.
The first is an old pillow. Pillows used for more than one to two years accumulate dust mites, sweat and allergens. Dust mites are smaller than a grain of salt, invisible to the naked eye, and a leading cause of asthma.
The second is artificial air fresheners. Sethi recommended banning the use of air fresheners in the bedroom altogether, because phthalates and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, cause respiratory illness and hormone disruption.
Short-term exposure to VOCs can cause dizziness, headaches and reduced concentration, while long-term exposure raises the risk of heart and lung disease, impaired reproductive function and cancer, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sethi said phthalates, which cause asthma and reproductive harm, were detected in 86% of air fresheners, and suggested natural essential oils as an alternative.
The third is an aging mattress more than seven to 10 years old. He stressed that such mattresses should be replaced quickly, as they can degrade sleep quality and cause chronic back pain.
